Friday, December 19, 2008

-Basil of Caesarea (ca. 330 - January 1, 379), also called Basil the Great-Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), a leading churchman in the 4th century-The Roman Catholic Church considers him a saint and a Doctor of the Church-His parents were known for piety-Basil returned to Caesarea in Cappadocia around 350-51 to begin his formal education.[9]There he met Gregory of Nazianzus, who would become a lifetime friend.[10] Together, Basil and Gregory went on to study in Constantinople, where they would have listened to the lectures of Libanius.-the two spent almost six years in Athens starting around 349, where they met a fellow student who would become the emperor Julian the Apostate.[11][12] It was at Athens that he began to first think about living a life focused on Christian principles.-Returning from Athens around 355, Basil briefly practiced law and taught rhetoric in Caesarea-Basil soon abandoned his legal and teaching professions in order to devote his life to God. Describing his spiritual awakening in a letter, Basil said:“ I had wasted much time on follies and spent nearly all of my youth in vain labors, and devotion to the teachings of a wisdom that God had made foolish. Suddenly, I awoke as out of a deep sleep. I beheld the wonderful light of the Gospel truth, and I recognized the nothingness of the wisdom of the princes of this world.[16]-St Basil of Caesarea holds a very important place in the history of Christian liturgy-The Eastern Orthodox Church considers him a saint and one of the Three Holy Hierarchs, together with Gregory Nazianzus and John Chrysostom